This invention relates to a hemocathartic method and a hemocathartic column. Particularly it relates to a hemocathartic column, comprising a column containing an adsorber capable of adsorbing and removing impurity components in the blood, a blood introducing duct connected with the inlet of the column, and a blood delivering duct connected with the outlet of the column, whereby the inlet of the blood introducing duct and the outlet of the blood delivering duct are connected with blood vessels of an organism, to be used in a blood circulation system (extracorporeal circulation system) in which the blood delivered from the organism flows through the blood introducing duct into the column, has the impurity components in the blood removed by the adsorber in the column, goes out of the column, and flows through the blood delivery duct, to be reintroduced in the organism. This invention also relates to a hemocathartic method using the column.
One of hemocathartic therapeutic methods is extracorporeal circulation therapy. This extracorporeal circulation therapy has been actively practiced since the time when the hemodialysis of acute renal failure began to be clinically applied. So, various techniques have been developed, and some are already clinically applied. The extracorporeal circulation therapy attracts attention since it allows therapy which cannot be effected by medicines.
As a column used for the extracorporeal circulation therapy, a column for extracorporeal circulation, comprising a cylinder, a first end plate provided at one end of the cylinder, a second end plate provided at the other end of the cylinder, a blood flow pipe opened at one end, closed at the other end, extending through the central portion of the first end plate into the cylinder and having many blood-flowing openings in the circumferential surface in the portion located in the cylinder, and an adsorber positioned between the outer circumferential surface of the blood flow pipe and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder, wherein a blood-flowing clearance is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and the outer circumferential surface of the second end plate, is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 1997-239022.
When this publicly known column for extracorporeal circulation was used for hemocatharsis, it was found that the pressure of the blood flowing in the blood introducing duct connected at one end with a blood vessel of an organism and connected at the other end with the openings of the blood flow pipe rose with the lapse of time. The pressure rise is likely to damage the thrombocytes and other blood components in the extracorporeally circulated blood.
This invention solves the problem of blood pressure rise during blood treatment incidental to the prior art, by presenting a hemocathartic method and a hemocathartic column which does not require the blood treatment by extracorporeal circulation to be discontinued in the middle of treatment.
The hemocathartic method of this invention to solve the above problem is as described below.
A hemocathartic method performed by use of a column comprising a cylinder, a first header closing one end of the cylinder and having a first blood passage communicating into the cylinder, a second header closing the other end of the cylinder and having a second blood passage communicating into the cylinder, and an adsorber contained in the cylinder, wherein a relation of (P120/P5)xe2x89xa61.3 is satisfied, where P120 is the pressure of the blood at 120 minutes after start of blood supply in the first blood passage when the blood to be purified is supplied from the first blood passage or in the second blood passage when the blood is supplied from the second blood passage, and P5 is the pressure of blood at 5 minutes after start of such blood supply in the corresponding blood passage.
In the column of this invention, it is preferable that a first end plate is provided at the end of the cylinder on the first header side, that a second end plate is provided at the end of the cylinder on the second header side, that a blood flow pipe extending from the first end plate to the second end plate and provided with a circumferential surface having many blood-flowing openings is provided in the central portion of the cylinder, that the blood flow pipe communicates at one end with the first header and is closed at the other end, that no clearance is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the first end plate and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder, that a blood-flowing clearance is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the second end plate and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder, that the adsorber is contained between the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and the outer circumferential face of the blood flow pipe, and that the linear velocity LV (cm/min) of the blood flow through the many openings of the blood flow pipe satisfies a relation of 3 cm/minxe2x89xa6LVxe2x89xa616 cm/min.
In this invention, it is preferable that the adsorber is an aggregate of fibers or grains. An aggregate of fibers is more preferable.
In this invention, it is preferable that the adsorber carries a bioactive substance.
The hemocathartic column of this invention to solve the problem is as follows.
A hemocathartic column comprising a cylinder, a first header closing one end of the cylinder and having a first blood passage communicating into the cylinder, a second header closing the other end of the cylinder and having a second blood passage communicating into the cylinder, and an adsorber contained in the cylinder, wherein a first end plate is provided at the end of the cylinder on the first header side; a second end plate is provided at the end of the cylinder on the second header side; a blood flow pipe extending from the first end plate to the second end plate and provided with many blood-flowing openings in the circumference surface is provided in the central portion of the cylinder; the blood flow pipe communicates at one end to the first header and is closed at the other end; no clearance is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the first end plate and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder; a blood-flowing clearance is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the second end plate and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder; the adsorber is contained between the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and the outer circumferential surface of the blood flow pipe; and the opening rate OR (%) which refers to the rate of the total opening area TOA of the many openings provided in the circumferential surface of the blood flow pipe to the surface area SA of the portion of the blood flow pipe facing the adsorber satisfies a relation of 15%xe2x89xa6ORxe2x89xa685%.
If the opening rate OR (%) is more than 85% or less than 15%, the value of (P120/P5) is more than 1.3. It is preferable that the opening rate OR (%) satisfies a relation of 35%xe2x89xa6ORxe2x89xa665%. In this case the value of (P120/P5) is 1.2 or less.
In this invention, it is preferable that the adsorber is an aggregate of either fibers or grains. An aggregate of fibers is more preferable.
In this invention, it is preferable that the adsorber carries a bioactive substance.